Tada! My First Biscornu.

Finished another project to stay up with my one a month challenge. My first Biscornu is totally done. I had finished the stitching and assembling of it with fabric I found and bought at the LQS.(A legal buy on my no buy challenge because it was a backing and it was to finish a project.) Yea! But then it sat around while I contemplated how to finish it. Bead all around the upper edge, ruche a ribbon, beads with ribbon entwined, beads dangled on the corners,.....

So I finally pulled it out last night to finish it. Started playing around with the beads and ribbons that were on hand to see what it wanted to become. Hummmm, it wanted some beaded fringe in the center of the top with a coordinating tiny button sewed on the bottom.



It is a Marie-Anne Rethoret-Melin design of Spring in the Garden Biscornu. I adapted the colors to suit a more late summertime feel and it's stitched on an Aida 14 ct. The DMC colors used were:611,349,3346,704,550,350,862,915,4200,and 4210. Easy pattern and a very nice design.

This will be a gift for my Mom. She has chartreuse, burgandy and grey in her main living areas in Florida and I think this will complement her decor without being too matchy, if you know what I mean. The second photo is to exhibit some of the beads I used for the tassel-fringed ornamentation on the top. 3 different beads were used, a 4mm chatreuse swarvorski crystal, burgandy triangle beads and a coral seed bead. A variety of "stringed" fringe was made but they all ended the same with the chartreuse and a burgandy bead as the anchor to hold the rest in place. I like it and I hope she does too. I actually feel like I'm in grade school again with giving my mommy my first project. Corny or what!

Another project I finished today is the Pumpkin from French COuntry IV. This was done with DMC#4130, stitched 2/2 on a 28 count linen that I tea dyed. I really couldn't stand the yellow background I posted previously, so I ripped it out. I'll repurpose that cloth with one other pattern I've had kicking around.

DH and I brought PGD#1 to a Flynn Theatre Production of Click, Clack Moo,to reward her for her No pacifier stage she is now in. Yippee! She was told when she turned 4 that she would be too old for a pacifier and viola. Her birthday came and now, no more pacifiers. Yippee! We are so proud, so of course when we found out the production of one of her favorite books was playing we did all we could to get tickets. While shopping in Vt today afterwards I was able to snatch up 3 frames, (black, brown and white) that are all 8"x8" square that were 3 for $9.00, what a sale. The only thing left so I can finish the pumpkin is to have the framers cut a mat to showcase it in the frame.


I just love it when I get things done. With being able to complete so many projects this year, I think this is an all time record for me.
Regards,

Jane

Another angel in heaven

With heart felt sadness I need to say that a dear friend's Mom just passed away. She endured many difficulties in the past several months and I know Sylvia will be missed by all who knew her. She was a quiet, soft spoken woman of the south, that had a beautiful gift of listening, being non-judgemental and just was a very nice person. On a previous post I showed a beautiful painting that was done and gifted to me with spontaneity. The artist was Sylvia and that is just a glimpse of the generous spirit of how she lived. May she be at peace.

Jane

Not liking it so far...

Started stitching the french country Pumpkin on the hand-dyed yellow and I really am not impressed. Here's a photo of how it looks.

I think I'll get a 28 count white and tea stain it to antique it instead. AN update on my Patience Corners is that I now have completed the 9 large - 16 block units of it, now to get them sewed together. Perhaps I'll be able to get to that this week. I still have to get my jalopeno pepper jelly made and DH is talking about trying to make some jelly or jam from the grapes on the arbor. This is the best crop we have been able to get so far. Usually, the beatles that are so abundant in June are voracious eat every little grape bud on the vines. Besides the grapes, the local fire station has many crab apples that look wonderful, so I am contemplating trying to make some Crab apple jelly as well.

Happy Stitching,
Jane

Autumn is here

We are having a splendid fall so far, I hope it continues despite being horribly overcast today with rain. The photos are some foliage snapshots I took while walking, hiking and biking. The colors show a definite sign that Fall is here.



I think I'll work on the JBW Designs French Country IV-Pumpkin that I have on hand. I may do it with a hand-dyed yellow fabric I purchased in Florida while at a quilt shop with my Mom. The harvest coloring of orange, rust, brown, and a touch of burgandy that's in DMC 4130 could look great on it. Time will tell.



Happy Stitching,
Jane

Show Your Stash

Back in March I took photos of my stash and sewing space. Little has changed since then. So far this year I have been able to complete 2 projects each month. Albeit some are small, BUT they are finishes none the less.
Judy Laquidera started this topic to see if by the end of 2010 any of our photos would be different. I hope that mine will. I still am plugging away and the only difference today than in March is the pile on my sewing table is actually higher. (Red face here) I'm posting some photos I took today. Just to be more current and to see the components of my sewing room that were not pictured before. I did not take more of the larger cabinets, since they all look just about the same as the above linked post.
This first photo is of the ironing station used while assembling blocks. (Notice all the totes with Labeled projects started and hoped to be finished. The one tote sticking out (toward the bottom left) is my current hump jumper, it has copious amounts of 1" by 4.5" strips. I'm assembling them into 8 strips wide then I'll spin wheel them into a four block unit.)

The closet with many WIPS, PIGs and UFOs all in totes and easy to find.


My sewing Table where I'm working on my last humpjumper, a Patience Corners layout.

Enjoy your day!

Jane

You are your choices

I ran across this on a recent blog visit, (sorry I can't remember which one) and the saying just connected with me. So simple, yet profound. I find myself repeating it sporactically through out my days. And it seems to help me make the better choice. Be it finish a little job, having more patience with others, or making a meal. Who knew 4 little words would have such an impact. Thanks whoever you are.

Enjoy your day and remember "You are your choices".

Jane

Enjoying Summer

First time swiming in nature and not the Pool. Loving it! And here is a "goofy" face photo that she'll do. What a JOY!





Enjoy Your day!
Jane

Another Block of the Month starting

The above button is a little snapshot of a new block of the month starting by Dorothy Baker. She is one talented quilt artist. So if you are interested in a 1930's quilt look to work on, check it out!

Happy stitching
Jane

Farewell to one talented man - September 14, 2009

I have always enjoyed Patrick Swayze. Especially in the scenes from Ghost, Dirty Dancing, boy could he move all the right parts! Hubba Hubba.
I recently found this SNL original skit he did with Chris Farley and thought I'd share it with you.

Chippendales

So sad that they are both gone now.


Jane

Home from Camping and Computer Back!

Yippee about finally getting our computer back. I love my desktop. With fixing the computer and the Internet service provider, we just had to replace our router, and mouse for the lap top, now to get it all fixed and working correctly is the next thing. In my feeble attempts, I get one working and then try to get the wireless signal for the lap top, 1 minute it's working the next it's not. Urgggg! I guess I'll have to get some help.

We pulled our camper back home. It's a 77 Prowler that I fondly call our "vintage camper". I used to call it our "shaggin wagon", but too many people had pre-conceived ideas with that name. So, I recently started calling it our vintage camper. It really is cute all set up with Adirondck themed necessities. Had to remake all the curtains a year or two ago so I used a border print with pine trees, bears and deer. The colors of course are cream, green, a little gold, brown and black. So I was able to find some black coffee/tea cups, a tray with deer and foliage decorating the corner of the kitchen counter (besides being useful to tote food and cooking items inside and out), tan and brown bedding for the master area, and a black wire basket on the dining table holding the appropriate fruits, besides linens and towels that coordinate and hand made soaps for the bath and the kitchen (would you believe they even have a bear or deer on them and they smell of chocolate, what's not to love!). Another wicker basket painted dark green holds books, magazines and the current needle work project.

I really enjoyed the camping. We went camping for 7 weeks this summer. I was able to finish the stitching and assembling of my first biscornu, read 7-8 books, walking, hiking, biking, a little kayaking and a lot of rest. It was great to get away from the house too. When we returned home for little pitstops at times, DH and I were both able to accomplish alot in the little bit of time we were home.

While camping by the Lake Champlain, we enjoyed the beach, lakeside walks, bike rides and watching many people with Kite surfing. The last was Wild! They would fly upwards 20-30 feet and do some aerials while having the surfboard attached to their feet and flip in the other direction. Of course being a quilter and in my little "No-Name Quilt group" we did the Ricky Tims convergence wallhanging with fabric a dear friend Trudy brought back from LaVeta Colorodo. So I thought, WOW! Quilting some of these Kite surfering silhouettes into that wallhanging would be fantastic, and be a converenge of energies of our Lake Champlain. So I snapped quite a few photos of them. It will be interesting to see if I can actually transform this idea onto my wallhanging. Time will tell.

The first photo shows all the additional kites that were on standby, either I assume the surfers were resting or waiting to surf and helping some of the newer participants to the lake. Several surfers went 1000s of yards into the lake too. There were already quite a few on the lake f course, besides the windsurfers and the little sunfish sailors loving the elements. Spendid to watch.






Well, too much to do and alot to post at another time.

Jane

Coming back to post another event we were lucky enough to able to witness. The 90 mile race. I'll let the photos do the talking.